Wyden, Merkley Push Trump Administration to Release Funds for Heating Assistance for Low-Income Americans

Millions of households await help with their heating bills heading into winter amid skyrocketing energy costs

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they are joining a bipartisan group of senators to push the Trump administration to immediately release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a lifeline program that helps low-income Americans afford their energy bills.

The letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes as the Trump administration sits on $4 billion in previously-appropriated funding for the LIHEAP program that it refuses to distribute. The Trump administration previously proposed eliminating LIHEAP, and the senators are part of a successful bipartisan pushback to save and fund the program. According to a new forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs are estimated to rise by an average of nearly 8 percent since last winter.

"As Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under the Continuing Resolution," the senators wrote.

Last year, Oregon alone received $41.7 million in federal LIHEAP funds to help 114,000 Oregonians pay their energy bills. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. While eligibility varies by state, most applicants must have a household income below 150% of the federal poverty guideline or 60% of the state median income.

The letter was led by U.S. Senators Jack Reed, D-R.I., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawai'i., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Chris Van Hollen, Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

Full text of the letter is here.